Melissa Manno reports for the Times Union that the Hudson Opera House, Crandell Theatre in Chatham, and Thomas Cole House in Catskill were among 69 statewide winners of $15 million for tourism facility capital improvements. The funding comes from the Regional Economic Development Councils as part of the Market New York program. The Hudson Opera House, Inc. is getting $66,500 for marketing the Hudson Jazz Festival. The Crandell Theatre will receive $323,000 towards restoration efforts and to publicize the FilmColumbia film festival. The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is getting $120,000 to promote the “Women, Land + Art: Showcasing the Hudson River School for Contemporary Audiences” exhibit. Locally, Kite's Nest in Hudson was the big winner, getting $1,600,000 to transform a two-acre formerly industrial Hudson Riverfront property into a campus for education, youth employment, environmental justice, and the arts. And the Town of New Lebanon is receiving $20,000 for assistance for a Renovation Project Action Plan for the Town's main commercial corridor. Read more about this story in the Times Union.